Mud
by Marymel
Summary: Jackson meets Greg at the lab and meets Hodges' fiancée. Mild spoilers for "Fearless."


**Jackson is my original character, but I don't own CSI.**

**This contains some spoilers for 13x20, "Fearless."**

**I remembered how much I loved playing in mud puddles when I was little, and I thought Jackson might be the same way. Plus I thought it would be cool to have a story where Hodges fiancée meets Jackson. And...here's what I came up with! Enjoy and please review!**

Jackson Sanders sat with his father Greg at the lab, ready to meet Morgan and go home. Greg smiled as his son talked about how he played basketball with Charlie and talked to D.B.'s granddaughter on the phone.

Greg looked down and noticed Jackson's shoes were caked in mud. He knew it had been raining earlier in the day. "Did you go through any puddles on your way here, Jacks?"

"I jump in mud, daddy!" The little boy smiled up at his father.

Greg shook his head, thinking about the case he and the team had just closed. After he and Morgan found all kinds of gross things in the natural mud bath, Greg couldn't help but grimace slightly as his son happily talked about jumping in mud puddles.

"Daddy, do you like to play in da mud?" Jackson asked.

"Used to," Greg mumbled. He looked at his smiling son, wishing he could be as carefree as Jackson, happily playing in mud and spending time with his family.

"I like to splash in da mud," Jackson said. "An' Mrs. Barbara lets me help in her garden, an' she let me dig a big hole an' help her plant some zucky!"

Greg smiled and laughed softly. "You going to make those into some bread?"

"Yeah!" Jackson loved helping Barbara make zucchini bread.

Greg looked up and saw Elisabetta, Hodges' fiancée, waiting at the front desk. He knew the Italian woman had become friends with Morgan.

Elisabetta saw Greg waiting. "Hello. Have you seen David?"

"He and Morgan had to turn some paperwork in. They should be ready soon."

Elisabetta nodded, and smiled at the little boy next to Greg. She walked over and sat across from the two. "You must be Jack."

Jackson shook his head. "No, I Jackson."

Greg smiled. "Jacks, this is Elisabetta. She's going to marry your Uncle Hodges."

"Oh," Jackson said with a smile. "I like Uncle 'Odges."

Elisabetta smiled at the sweet boy. "Morgan has said she has a beautiful son...and she is right. You are very handsome, Jackson."

Jackson looked at the beautiful woman curiously. "You hab a pretty accent."

"Thank you," Elisabetta said with a smile. "I am from Italy. Do you know where that is?"

"Nope," Jackson said, shaking his head. "But Uncle 'Odges say it shaped like a boot."

"Hodges once told him about different things he saw in Italy," Greg explained. "And Jackson drew him a picture."

"Yeah, I draw him a picture," Jackson said proudly.

Elisabetta smiled at the child. "Do you like to draw?"

"Yeah! I got lots of crayons an' paper at home. I like to draw wif my daddy." Jackson smiled at his father.

"I always like to draw with my father back home in Tuscany," Elisabetta said with a warm smile.

Jackson thought about the drawing he made for Hodges. "Do you hab a...Daddy, what was dat thing wif all da trees?"

"An orchard," Greg said softly.

"Oh, yeah." He looked back up at Elisabetta. "Do you hab one?"

Elisabetta smiled. "Yes, back home in Tuscany. We have many trees and grow grapes for wine."

"My daddy say dat's a grown-up drink."

Morgan and Hodges had to smile when they came to the lobby and saw Jackson happily chatting with Elisabetta and Greg. Jackson smiled when he saw Morgan and jumped off the chair. "Hi, Mama!"

"Hey, sweet pea!" Morgan happily lifted the smiling boy into her arms.

Hodges smiled and kissed Elisabetta's cheek. "He is adorable," she said.

Jackson smiled at Elisabetta. "Mama, dis Uncle 'Odges, um..."

Fiancée," Greg whispered.

"Oh, yeah," Jackson said with a nod. "She nice!"

Elisabetta smiled at the little boy in Morgan's arms. "I think you are very nice, too."

Jackson smiled. "Can we go see your house in Italy?"

Hodges and Elisabetta laughed softly. "My home is here now," Elisabetta said. "I am going to live here in Vegas."

"But don't you miss your family?"

"I do, but I can call and e-mail them all the time. And I have David, and my new _amica_ Morgan. I am excited about starting my new life here."

"Oh, dat's good," Jackson said. "I like it here. I hab my daddy an' mama, an' all my aunts an' uncles here."

Greg smiled and kissed his son's cheek. "And I've got you and your mama." Morgan smiled at her husband and son.

Hodges smiled at the young family. Even though he once told Catherine that he had an aversion to children, he had to admit he liked the idea of having a home and family with Elisabetta.

"Well, we had better go," Elisabetta said.

"Yeah," Hodges agreed. "We're going to have dinner."

"Okay," Jackson said. "I see you later!"

Greg and Morgan said goodbye to them, and headed out to go home.

"Hey, Jacks?" Greg asked. "You and your mama and I have something in common."

Morgan looked at Greg, confused. He simply smiled and gestured to Jackson's muddy shoes.

"Looks like we're not the only ones who worked in the mud today," Morgan said. She and Greg smiled at the little boy they adored.

Jackson giggled. "I like to play in da mud!"

**The End.**


End file.
